Collapsible crate.



' PATENTED 0011 1907.

B. P. LEWIS. GOLLAPSIBLE CRATE.

APPLICATI'ION FILED JULY 31. 1906.

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wi/tvwww alffozwu PATENTED OCT. 8, 1907.

B. F. LEWIS. OOLLAPSIBLB CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31.1908.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

COLLAPSIBLE CRATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 8, 1907.

Application filed July 31,1906. Serial No. 328.599.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BENNETT F. LEwIs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Longview, in the county of Gregg and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Collapsible Grate, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in collapsible crates. I

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of collapsible crates, and to provide asiinple and comparatively inexpensive one designed for shipping berries, and various other kinds of merchandise, and capable of being folded to arrange it compactly for returning it to the shipper.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacriicing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings:-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a collapsible shipping crate, constructed in accordance with this invention. -Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line x;c of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the crate. Fig. 4 is a side elevation, the top and bottom being detached and the body being folded. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 and 2 designate the sides and ends of the body of a folding or collapsible crate. The sides 1 consist of spaced vertical slats or pieces 3 and upper and lower, inner and outer longitudinal side bars 4 and 5, which are located at the inner and outer faces of the vertical slats or pieces and which are secured to the same by suitable fastening devices 6. The ends are composed of vertical slats or pieces 7 and top and bottom connecting bars 8 and 9, to the upper edges of which the slats or pieces 7 are secured by nails 9, or other suitable fasteningdevices. The spaced slats or pieces form a ventilated crate. The walls of .the crate may be made solid or closed, if desired.

The top and bottom connecting bars 8 and 9 of the ends are arranged at the upper edges of the upper side bars 4 and 5 and at the lower edges of the lower side bars, and they are pivotally connected to the sides of the crate by means of malleable nails 10 and 11, which pierce the connecting bars 8 and 9 and which extend between the slats or pieces 3 and the outerv side bars 5 and are bent around and clenched against the latter. The side bars 5 are provided at their inner faces with grooves 12, to receive the malleable fastening devices 10 and 11,

which are bent outward around the inner edges of the upper and lower side bars 5 and 6. The upper fastening devices 10 are bent around the lower edges of the upper exterior side bars 5, and the lower fastening devices are bent around the upper edges of the lower side bars 5.

The bent terminals of the fastening devices 10 and 11' i extend partially across the outer faces of the side bars 5, and by this construction, the sides and ends of the crate are securely pivoted together, and there is no liability of the same becoming accidentally disconnected. Also by this arrangement of the pivots and the sides and ends, the body of the crate is adapted to fold compactly, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, without liability of prying off anyof the bars of the crate. The fastening devices 10 and 11 are provided at their outer ends with heads, which engage the outer faces of the transverse connecting bars 8 and 9. The sides of the crate are also connected at an intermediate point by abottom central cross bar 12, which is pivotally connected to the sides at the lower edges thereof by means of malleable nails 13, constructed and arranged similar to the bottom nails 11, and having heads at their lower ends and bent around the upper edges of the exterior lower side bars 5. The bottom connecting bars are adapted to support the bot tom 14 of the crate, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The bottom 14, which is composed. of longitudinal slats and transverse cleats 15, fits snugly between the sides 'of the crate, and the transverse cleats 15 are arranged to abut against the inner side edges of the bottom connecting bars 9, whereby the sides and. ends of the body of the crate are held rigid with each other and are prevented from collapsing. The ends of the slats of the bottom 14 rest upon the upper faces of the end connecting bars 9, and the'contents of the crate will retain the bottom in its interlocked relation with the body of the crate.

The crate is provided with a detachable top 16, composed of longitudinal slats and transverse connecting bars 17, 18 and 19. The transverse connecting bars 17 and 18 are arranged at the ends of the top and abut against the inner side edges of the top connecting bars 8. The top 16 fits snugly between the sides of the crate, and the slats or bars of the top are extended beyond the end bars 17 the extended portions 20 engaging under the contiguous transverse connecting bar 8, and inter locking the top with the body at that end of the latter. The transverse cleat 19 is arranged at the center of the body, and the cleats 17, 18 and 19 project laterally beyond the side slats of the top and their terminals 21 rest upon the upper edges of the sides. The top is secured to the sides by means of fastening devices 22, which pierce the ends of the central transverse cleat or bar 19 and which are embedded in the upper edges of the sides, but the extended ends of the other top cleats 17 and 18 may be secured to the sides of the crate, if desired.

The crate, which is adapted for shipping all kinds of merchandise, may be constructed of any desired size and strength to suit the character of the goods to be shipped, and it is capable of collapsing to enable it to be compactly folded for returning it to the shipper. r-gI-Iaving thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is1- A collapsible crate comprising sides having longitudinal side bars at their upper and lower edges, ends provided at their upper and lower edges with transverse connecting bars receiving the sides between them and fitted against the lower edges of the lower side bars and the upper edges of the upper side barsfinalleab'le fastenigg devices piercing the transverse connecting bars and passing between the sides and the upper and lower side bars and bent outward around the inner edges of the latter and extended par tially across the outer faces of the side bars, said side bars being provided at their inner faces with grooves to receive the fastening devices and interlocking the same with the sides, said fastening devices constituting pivots on which the sides'and ends are adapted to turn to collapse the body, and a removable top and a removable bottom titted between the transverse connecting bars.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I haverhereto ailixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

BENNETT FRANKLIN IrlGWlS.

Witnesses T. C. MORGAN, E. P. ALLISON. 

